The Helsinki District Court convicted the captain and boatswain of cargo ship Fitburg of aggravated sabotage, finding Finland had jurisdiction because the intentional crimes had effects there.
The ruling concerns damage to two telecommunications cables in the Gulf of Finland on Dec. 31, 2025. The captain received a prison term of three years and six months, while the boatswain was sentenced to two years and 10 months. The court ordered both into custody immediately.
The court dismissed a separate charge of aggravated interference with telecommunications, finding the sabotage offense covered the same conduct. It also found the acts were intended to cause the greatest possible damage to society and its functions.
The defendants must jointly compensate the affected parties for cable repairs and investigations involving the cables and gas pipeline, and pay the affected parties’ legal costs. The compensation order largely matched the affected parties’ claims. The ruling is not final.
